The New York Islanders brought No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer with them on Thursday night when they opened their 2025-26 season. Schaefer headlined the Islanders' 2025 NHL Draft class. And the Islanders believe he can help them win games right away. He pitched in with an assist on Thursday, but ultimately, the Pittsburgh Penguins got the last laugh.
Schaefer assisted on Jonathan Drouin's goal to tie the game at 1-1 in the first period. Other than this, he had a quiet game, playing the second-fewest minutes among New York defenseman on the night. The Penguins claimed victory in regulation with a 4-3 final score.
Making your NHL debut at 18 years old is certainly an experience. He wasn't thrust into a major role, but it was still a solid showing. After the game, Schaefer provided his thoughts on how his first game in the league played out.
“It was such a great experience playing in my first NHL game. I thought we brought it tonight, but we wish we could have got the win. Hate losing, so we're gonna learn from it and focus on our next game,” he said, via Islanders beat reporter Stefen Rosner.
Islanders' Patrick Roy assesses Matthew Schaefer's NHL debut
Making your NHL debut at 18 years old will bring a ton of attention. However, there was certainly no one paying closer attention than Islanders head coach Patrick Roy. Roy is one of the most no-nonsense people in the game of hockey. And the Islanders bench boss is certainly unafraid to express himself.
There are a lot of things Roy certainly won't have liked from the loss to the Penguins. Schaefer, though, was a positive for New York. Roy pointed to his confidence when speaking about the No. 1 pick's debut in the NHL.
“I thought he was really good. He was good at the end. He was throwing pucks at the net. I thought that he seemed very, very comfortable and very confident out there. So I'm very pleased with him,” Roy said, via Rosner.
The Islanders could not pull out the win on Thursday night. But this is only one of 82 games. New York retakes the ice on Saturday night when they skate in their home opener against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
